Interesting stat: North America is the largest professional audio-visual market in the world, comprising 45 percent of the global market, according to the industry’s trade association InfoComm International.

As a new business owner more than 20 years ago, John Godbout spent his weekends looking for a job.

When the former IBM veteran walked away from his steady corporate job and started CCS Presentation Systems Inc. in 1991, with his wife Beth, Godbout scoured the want ads for potential sources of income should his young business continue to struggle. His Scottsdale audio-visual company generated just $57,000 in total revenue the first year — before expenses.

“I thought, if this doesn’t work, I’ll go get a job,” said Godbout, who, in his mind, quit several times in those early days. “I never wanted to quit, but I had a house payment to make. Most Saturdays and Sundays were spent soul searching. On Mondays, I was back at it and energized again.”

For the first few years, Godbout did selling and customer support. Beth did the accounting and collected payments, driving around in her minivan with their children in tow. They were on a COD plan with manufacturing partners and functioned without a business loan, relying on savings.

“When I sold something to someone, I thought, ‘Hey, they want to do business with me!’ That’s something all entrepreneurs go through ... a lot of lows and highs,” Godbout said. “We were not having a lot of success, but we kept working at it.”

The Godbouts’ perseverance paid off. When CCS was three years old, the company qualified for a $200,000 line of credit, which was bumped up to $500,000 a couple of years later. Godbout said this provided vital boosts.

Today, the company generates as much as $860,000 a week, Godbout said. A client base that started with three now includes 5,000 active corporate, education and government clients.

Their full-service audio-visual design and integration uses a variety tools, including interactive whiteboards, LCD displays, digital projectors and high-definition videoconferencing. This year, CCS became an authorized provider of ShoreTel’s Unified Communications Solutions to complement its current lineup of services.

Adding new resources and technology is a constant that has helped CCS grow and survive trends, industry changes and economic turbulence. Technology has become less expensive, so Godbout has come up with other services, like training and maintenance, to generate revenue.

“We’ve had to fine new ways to sell services and hardware just to stay even,” he said. “For a little company like ours, it’s always a challenge.”

But being small has its advantages. Making necessary changes within the company or accommodating a client’s shifting needs is easy.

“I can make those changes in a one-hour meeting,” Godbout said. “Adjusting to changes in the market is very, very important.”

For 12 years, Mike Toney, CEO of Conquest Training Systems, has relied on CCS to provide the training tools at his Phoenix and Chandler centers, as well as his public speaking engagements across the country.

“They help make my training more effective. They’re my strategic partner,” Toney said. “They’re very business oriented, so they look for the right solution for me and get me what I want for the amount of money I’m willing to spend. They’re very customer-centric.”

Chris Skiba, a senior research specialist at Arizona State University, has been working with CCS since Godbout walked into his office in 1991 and introduced himself. Over the years, Skiba has used CCS when it comes to grand projects, video teleconferencing and other tasks that require stellar audio and visual capabilities.

Like Toney, Skiba is impressed with the customer attention that CCS provides. He said his experience with Godbout and his team is different from those he’s experienced with other companies that only call when they hear of a potential moneymaking job.

“They come around to see how you’re doing and if you need anything ... not only when there’s a project on,” Skiba said. “John maintains a first class operation. I think he sets a standard for everyone to follow.”

The Godbouts’ relocation to Phoenix in 1986 was the last in a number moves initiated by Godbout’s 23-year career with IBM. He had grown weary of the corporate grind. When the company assigned him to Los Angeles, Beth’s response sealed the deal.

Godbout’s original business model focused on selling application software for mid-range computers. But the LCD panel he used to demo the software to potential clients drew more attention than his product.

“They looked at me and said, ‘I’m not sure about your software, but what is that you’re using to put that image on the screen?’” Godbout said.

Three months later, Godbout heeded that feedback and made the transition that led to CCS.

Evolving industry trends and economics are factors that cannot be controlled. However, Godbout believes much of CCS’ success comes from those that can — such as nurturing relationships with business partners and clients, and watching the bottom line.

“We’re careful with out finances. When things are going well, sometimes you lose sight of what got you there,” he said.

Creating a positive working environment has also been key.

“A lot of people want to work for a small business but look for professionalism, and we have that. We’re tough but ethically honest competitors and that reputation gets out there,” Godbout said. “When (employees) say to me, ‘Your company,’ I say, ‘Our company.’ You may not be the person who signs the checks, but it’s ours.”

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